Chamber and committees

Thank you for coming to the meeting.

You talk about rurality. Is it not the case that, in some situations and circumstances, there are opportunities to develop processes? Have you given any feedback on the fair fares review, which the Scottish Government is using to look at concessionary travel? Have you been involved in any consultation on that review or had other involvement with it?

It would also be useful to write to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to seek clarification of its role in relation to the SPSO and to ask for its views on the action that has been carried out for the petition, specifically in relation to the value of the independent review of the SPSO.

That information gap might well have been identified, minister, and you have now indicated that through other resources and ways of managing it, it might be closed. We are trying to identify whether such a gap exists—and it would appear that it does—and whether everyone is supported while in custody.

Has Nicoletta Primo had any involvement with the fair fares review?

I hope that the situation that the petitioner found herself in is just a one-off, but it might not be. We might assume that, when we get a home report, the fundamentals would be covered in that report. It is important to continue the petition. I would request that we write to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to seek a view on the issues that are raised by the petition, requesting information on the training and guidance that is provided to surveyors and valuers to ensure the accuracy of information that is included in a home report. We should also ask for RICS’s view on the proposal to include contact details for the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in home reports. In addition, I think that it would be useful to write to the Law Society of Scotland to seek its views on the issues that are raised in the petition.

If the situation is not one that regularly occurs, the relevant regulations should protect the individual who is purchasing a property. The quality of the survey that surveyors carry out is vitally important.

I think that we should take more evidence on the subject. I suggest that we write to the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland, the Confederation of Passenger Transport, and Heads of Planning Scotland, seeking their views on the petition and asking how the views of the taxi and private hire trade are included in their decision-making processes, what scope there is to include the taxi and private hire trade in public transport stakeholder groups, and how engagement and consultation on decisions that affect the services that they provide could be improved.

I suggest that we also write to the Scottish Government to seek an update on what is happening with the short-life working group and to ask for further information on any action that is being undertaken to improve engagement between the taxi and private hire industry and the planning and licensing authorities. That would give us an indication of where we are in the process.

I thank Mr Kerr for his very passionate presentation about ice sport. He identified that there are really good reasons to celebrate it but that there are huge challenges for the sector. Lots of local authorities have a sports council to support and promote individuals progressing through any of these sports, but the biggest challenge is in trying to find facilities that they can go to. As Liam Kerr identified, many local authorities may not be in a strong financial position. One of the biggest issues is that people sometimes have to travel vast distances to find a facility that they can use in order to train regularly. Have you had any correspondence or negotiations with sport councils about what they are considering to ensure that the ice sport sector is given the priority that it deserves across the country?

You have summarised the process well, convener. At this stage, there is not much requirement for the committee to take things further. It would therefore be appropriate to close the petition under rule 15.7 of the standing orders. As you have indicated, the First Minister has apologised to the women who were convicted, Natalie Don is continuing to progress her member’s bill, and the petitioner has indicated that plans are being taken forward for a national memorial. Under those circumstances, there is not much point in the committee progressing things, because they have already moved on considerably since the petition was lodged.

I note the petitioner’s comments, and it is also interesting to see the information that has come back from the Scottish Government. Looking at the permitted development rights on digital infrastructure, I am not sure that, in reality, we can take the petition much further. Therefore, I propose that we close it under rule 15.7 of standing orders on the basis that the Scottish Government has recently reviewed and updated the permitted development rights for digital infrastructure, considered its position and struck “an appropriate balance” and that there are no current plans for further amendments to those rights.

You have already alluded to the fact that potential gaps still exist around the MAT standards. Is anything still needed to ensure that the standards are fully implemented and working as intended?